Parishioners of Our Lady of Fatima (OLF) in Highland Lakes gathered for Mass recently for the consecration of a new altar — a new Eucharistic Table, made of granite — a wood-colored slab of stone that not only tells its own geological history, but also helps mark a new era of extensive physical and spiritual revitalization for this rural faith community. OLF’s new altar was the result of fine craftsmanship, in part, by the human hands of a parishioner, Tadeusz Flig.

Catholic schools in the Paterson Diocese will be much safer, thanks to legislation that will provide an additional $11.3 million in security funding to non-public schools across the state. The new law doubles the amount of security funding per student from $75 to $150 for non-public schools. The expanded state funding will allow non-public schools to update and strengthen the security at their schools.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Joseph Church in Paterson and celebrated Mass for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord Jan. 13. Concelebrant of the Mass was Father Janusz Rzadca, pastor of St. Joseph Parish.

As many pro-lifers prepare to travel to the nation’s capital for the 46th annual March for Life tomorrow, Jan. 18, New Jerseyans have the opportunity to be a voice for the voiceless closer to home on Tuesday, Jan. 22 at the N.J. Right to Life’s annual Rally for Life in Trenton.

Audiences watched spellbound as the lights went down in the auditorium at St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Clifton and the curtain went up for the red-carpet premiere of a new local independent film in early December. Some young people here viewed it with fascination, while some older parishioners cried — all getting swept up not in the latest art-house movie, but in “Greater Works,” a homegrown documentary about the real and just-as-powerful 75-year history of St. Philip’s, now on DVD and Blu-Ray.

It only took a few preparations for Elizabeth Poore of Holy Family Parish here to get ready for her faith-filled mission — a winter coat, a backpack and small headphones filled with Christmas music. During early December, this lifelong parishioner set off to canvas her neighborhood in Florham Park and a few local housing developments to deliver a special Christmas gift door to door to fellow members of her community: copies of “The Biggest Lie in the History of Christianity” by Matthew Kelly.

Over centuries, masterpiece paintings have artfully captured the beauty and drama of many defining moments in Christ’s life — from sweet scenes of his Nativity to emotional depictions of a “doubting” St. Thomas touching Jesus’ wounds after his Crucifixion and Resur­rection. But recently, a diocesan priest suggested that Catholics could get more — and deeper — spiritual insights about Jesus, Mary and other biblical figures than meet the eye by opening their hearts to Christ in prayer and contemplation, as they view these religiously-themed works of art.

When a pilgrim steps foot on the grounds of the Shrine of St. Joseph in Stirling, the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity hope they find a place of welcome and hospitality. That was one of the many messages Missionary Servant Father Dennis Berry, director of the Stirling shrine, heard from Pope Francis during the first International Convention of Rectors and Pastoral Workers of Shrines, sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization. The convention, held in Rome, focused on the theme, “The Shrine: The Open Door for the New Evangelization.”

Omaha attorney Brian Buescher, a Catholic and member of the Knights of Columbus, was nominated by President Trump to serve on the U.S. District Court in Nebraska. But when the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on his nomination, U. S. Senators Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Kamala Harris of California, both Democrats, asked Buescher if he was willing to end his longtime membership in the Knights of Columbus if confirmed because in their view, the organization holds “extreme beliefs,” which they felt would cloud his ability to fairly judge cases.

Bishop Serratelli made his annual Christmas pastoral visit to Straight and Narrow, an agency of diocesan Catholic Charities in Paterson, where he led a prayer service Dec. 22. During the service, the Bishop blessed clients who are currently in recovery at the drug and alcohol rehabilitation center.

On Dec. 24, marking the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord on Christmas Eve, Bishop Serratelli celebrated the 9 p.m. vigil Mass with parishioners of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson.

The piercing blue eyes of a Baby Jesus figurine stare up from a wooden crib on the back deck of a house on Sunset Terrace in Wayne — part of an unusual manger scene which recalls more than the Holy Family’s long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem and Christ’s birth. The crèche outside the home of Robert and Jean Barkovitz also tells the story of Jesus’ humble beginnings and love for the forgotten from abandoned doll on the roadside to object of admiration this Christmas.